I have no words for this burger. Literally this burger left me speechless and if you’re anyone that knows me, you know that’s virtually impossible. There is burgers and then there is THIS. This burger is in a class all by itself. It’s beyond elite; beyond epic. It’s.. it’s… well it’s whatever that word is beyond epic. See! Even know I am at a loss for words!

That just never happens. I always have something to say but this… this glorious, absolutely incredible, amazingly delicious, #innerfatkid drooling burger paralyzed my ability to put thoughts into words. Heck I don’t think I was even able to produce actual thoughts other than “Mmmm”. This burger will make you cuss and say words that your Mama would wash your mouth out with but you wouldn’t care because IT IS THAT GOOD!

Originally when I was working on the concept of these burgers I knew I wanted to use bacon in the burgers. I even thought of calling them the 50/50 burger but that all went to pot once I started to assemble this beast. Okay so let me backtrack how this thing came to life. It was a Sunday morning and I was at my butcher’s shop grabbing some fresh ground pork so I could make my own breakfast sausage. When I spied their homemade applewood smoked thick cut bacon. Now normally I’m not a huge fan of the thick cut as when most places make it, it’s charred on the outside but still chewy on the inside. However there is a secret to cooking thick cut bacon at home and getting it perfect each and every time.

First, start with a cold pan on the stove top. I prefer cast iron but the downfall of that is everything you make in that pan will have an underlying bacon taste. Now that’s not a bad thing BUT it’s not great say in a cake. So for me I have a dedicated cast iron bacon pan. If you don’t have one you can use any other pan. But back to the cold pan aspect. If you put bacon in an already hot pan the edges will start to crisp before the fat can actually render out. So what you’re left with is well, charred outside with chewy centers. Yeah I’m sorry but that’s just gross. By starting out with a cold pan you ensure that it cooks evenly and the fat can properly render out.

Next, low and slow. Often people think you need high heat to cook bacon. No no no. Low and slow people. Render the fat. By rending the fat out you’re left with crispy but not dried-out bacon. This is what you want. Third, patience. So when is the bacon done? Honestly that depends on your preference. It’s important to know that your bacon will continue to cook some when you pull it from the pan and will stiffen up a little upon cooling. Look for even browning and that most of the redness of the meat is gone.

I have to take a minute and stare at that picture above. I mean seriously… LOOK AT IT! If that doesn’t make your mouth water then you’re well either a non-meat lover or you just need to see it in person. LOL So back to my being in the butchers shop. That thick cut applewood bacon called to me and in the cart it went. Since I already had ground meat in the fridge I knew exactly how I wanted to use it up – in the burger itself. But the question was – how? I’ve stuffed it in between 2 patties already cooked and it was good but you were limited to getting that bacony goodness in each and every bite. No this burger needed to be special. No it needed to be epic. No… it needed to be that word beyond epic.

Now for me when it comes to crispy bacon on a burger the perfect compliment (other than my mouth and cheese) is caramelized onions. Now true caramelized onions takes a good hour or more to make. If you’re in a time crunch you can easily just saute up some onions in a little oil and butter (equal amounts) and add a pinch of salt a few minutes into the cooking over med-low heat. Give them a stir every so often and once the onions are soft and start to brown you’re good to go. So for me making these onions were a must!

As the onions were caramelizing I need to figure out what to serve with this thing so I started rummaging through my freezer. OHHHHHHHH fries! Whoa wait a minute. How did a bag of waffle fries get in my freezer? Seriously I have no clue how they got in there as I don’t recall buying them as I’m really not a huge fan of them. They never crisp up enough for me, even when deep fried. Now I know Mr. Fantabulous didn’t buy them as that would require him to go to the grocery store and that is something he will only ever do in an emergency; i.e., I’m bed-ridden sick. So my only conclusion is I grabbed it by accident. No biggie

So into the oven they went. Next I moved onto the meat mixture. In went the ground meat and then as I was kind of crumbling it I thought about the bacon – since I didn’t want to grind it, why not chop it super small and put it in like that? Since I am TERRIBLE at a ruler (don’t ask but I suck at it), you want to dice it to about the size of a standard yellow pencil eraser. Got it? Next into the mix went some of my famous Montreal Steak Seasoning and lastly I wanted another level of flavor; something to really set it above and beyond.

And that’s when it hit me! My Chipotle Maple BBQ Sauce! This sauce is RIDICULOUS! This is what was needed to round out the flavors and bring them all together in one beautiful harmonious mouth symphony. Whoa.. what was pretty awesome description writing there huh? LOL

Into the pan the patties went and once they were flipped the cheese was placed on top as you need your cheese melted on a burger. This is a rule. No, this is a commandment of Burgers 101. Next came the assembly part. As I placed the Triple B burger on the bun, next came the bacon. Before I could continue, the oven timer went off saying the fries were done. As I pulled them out and salted the hot fries I got an idea. What if… <insert evil grin> Yeah, you know where this is going. Onto the burger those waffle fries went along with some warmed Chipotle Maple BBQ Sauce and those killer caramelized onions. Now for me, most burgers need a pickle. Out came the skewers and voila! A perfect pickle perched atop this glorious masterpiece!

But what came next, I can’t really say as I think I blacked out once I took my first bite. This burger took my breath away and put in a happy place that no other food ever has. It literally rendered my speechless. The pride I have with this burger leaves me positively beaming and I cannot wait to share it with you!

Gently mix to combine. You want it evenly mixed but don’t over work the meat otherwise it’ll get super tough.

Evenly divide the mixture to make 6 burgers or 8 sliders.

Press the mixture together gently to form a patty.

Use your thumb to make a nickel-sized indentation, a little more than 1/4-1/2 inch deep, in the center of each patty. Repeat for the remaining patties.

Heat a cast iron pan or large skillet over medium heat.

While the pan is heating up, place the waffle fries in the oven and bake per the packages instructions.

Place the patties, indent side up into the heated pan and cook for 5-9 minutes on each side or per your liking. Rare: 120 to 125F, Medium Rare: 130 to 135F, Medium Well: 150 to 155F and Well Done: 160 to 165F. *note: sliders will take less time as they are smaller.

While the burgers are cooking, place the remaining 1 cup of bbq sauce into a pan over low heat to warm up.

Once the burgers are flipped and have cook for 2 minutes, place a slice of cheese on top.

When the burgers are done, place a patty on the bottom portion of a bun.

Top with crispy bacon strips, hot waffle fries, 1-2 Tbl warmed bbq sauce and a few Tbl of caramelized onions.

Top with other half of the burger.

Take a wooden skewer and spear a pickle with it, insert the pickle skewer into the burger.